Auto Metal Direct makes new Charger fenders, but are they quality made?

When we last saw Project 50, the guys at the AMD Installation Center had just completed the repairs on the floor of the Charger. Now that the car’s actual body has been repaired, it’s time to focus on the bolt-on pieces.

2/12<strong>01</strong> With just a general glance, things look good. But will the new fenders hold up under scrutiny?

While we were at the Installation Center, we learned that AMD had just released their new fenders for the Charger, and since we had a Charger that needed fenders, we decided to see how well these fenders were actually made. According to the guys at AMD, “Each fender is manufactured using high quality, heavy-gauge steel on our exclusive new tooling, and features correct-as-original body lines, braces, marker light holes, and antenna cut-out (certain models only). Like all AMD parts, these fenders arrive in a black EDT Coat finish and will require standard prep work prior to paint.” OK, that sounds good, but we still wanted to get our hands on a set and see for ourselves.

3/12

Our initial impression was good, as they came very nicely packaged, which meant that shipping damage shouldn’t be an issue—it wasn’t. Once we got the fender(s) out of the boxes, at first glance, we were more than a little impressed. Let’s face it, when was the last time you were able to pull a brand new fender out of a box to install on your ’69 Charger?

Cost per fender:$749.95

So, before we just bolted them on the car, we wanted to do a thorough comparison between the originals (minus the rust and dents), and the new AMD units, so check this out…

7/12<strong>05</strong> The complex fender is made the same as the factory original, there are multiple pieces all joined to make a unit. So far, all is looking good from our point of view.

Now, just because we needed to put new fenders on our Charger doesn’t mean that we didn’t actually have fenders. Although I loosely use the term fenders when I describe what we had, they did resemble them. The ones we did have were so far overcome with rust, and more than a few wrinkles and bends, that the cost of repairing them was so exorbitant, that new fenders were a must.

11/12<strong>09</strong> We also installed the front valance, and did notice a discrepancy where it met on the driver side. We’re not sure if it was an issue with the valance or with the fender, but we’re looking into it.

12/12<strong>10</strong> With the body complete, it’s on to the suspension. Stay tuned.